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UTEP graduate enrollment stumbles

Lindsey Anderson, El Paso Times
Published 9:13 p.m. MT Oct. 3, 2015

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UTEP graduate student Gustavo Alejandro Sias, foreground center, listens to a presentation by U.S. Department of State representative Anne Gallaghan during a seminar on international and national security at the university.(Photo: VICTOR CALZADA/EL PASO TIMES)Buy Photo

The number of University of Texas at El Paso graduate students is down for at least the fourth year in a row, largely driven by a steep decline in the number of people pursuing master’s degrees in education.

While UTEP’s total student enrollment increased for the 17th year in a row – rising to 23,397 registered students this fall from 23,079 last year – enrollment in master’s programs in education has dropped more than 40 percent since fall 2011, according to UTEP data.

In 2011, 988 students were enrolled in one of UTEP’s master’s degree or certificate programs in education. This fall, only 580 students were enrolled.

UTEP’s experience largely parallels national trends. Nationwide, enrollment in education graduate programs decreased by almost 4 percent each year between 2009 and 2014, according the Council of Graduate Schools report.

UTEP Graduate School Dean Charles Ambler said a reduction of incentives for advanced education for teachers, as well as school district job cuts, have led to a “sharp decline” in demand for education master’s degrees.

“The decline in master’s enrollments are largely explained by the decline in enrollments in education programs, which in turn are driven substantially by reductions in hiring by the districts regionally, the elimination of salary benefits for students with master’s degrees, and lack of tuition support for teachers enrolled in master’s programs,” UTEP said in an emailed statement.

Yet Ross Moore, president of the El Paso American Federation of Teachers, said larger class sizes and more administrative demands at work might be impeding teachers’ return to school, not a lack of incentives.

“They just don’t have the time to do it,” Moore said.

All El Paso County school districts offer higher salaries or annual stipends for employees with master’s and doctoral degrees.

Some districts also have money available to help teachers pay graduate tuition. In the El Paso Independent School District, for example, teachers can apply to receive as much as $900 per semester per three credits toward their graduate tuition and a maximum of $2,700 per year, spokeswoman Melissa Martinez said.

The reimbursement pot has increased every year because of an increased interest or need for tuition assistance, Martinez said.

UTEP officials said they are working to recruit teachers to graduate education programs by focusing on the requirements for teaching dual credit courses, through which students can get college credit in high school.

To teach dual credit classes, Texas educators must have at least a master’s degree with 18 credit hours in the discipline they teach.

UTEP Associate Provost Donna Ekal said the demand for dual credit teachers will increase now that the Texas Legislature passed a bill removing the cap on the number of dual credit courses students can take each semester. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law in May.

Educators can receive stipends for teaching dual-credit classes.

Enrollment in UTEP’s doctoral education programs has largely remained the same since 2011, hovering between 108 and 118 students, according to university data.

Overall trends

Across all graduate programs, UTEP has 3,177 students enrolled this fall, including students in doctoral programs, master’s programs or other programs, such as graduate certificates. That’s down from 3,665 graduate students in 2011, according to university data.

"There has been an increased focus on doctoral programs, with some decline in master's enrollments in those disciplines as a result,” Ambler said.

The number of master’s students has steadily fallen over the past four years, from 3,009 in fall 2011 to 2,459 this fall. Meanwhile, the number of doctoral students has fluctuated between 656 and 743 students during that period.

UTEP’s numbers largely mimic national trends.

Nationwide, total enrollment in U.S. graduate programs peaked in fall 2009 as students entered graduate school in droves during the Great Recession, according to a report released last month by the Council of Graduate Schools. Enrollment then fell about 0.2 percent on average each year from fall 2009 to fall 2014 as the economy improved.

No impact on funding

UTEP officials said the drop in graduate enrollment has not affected state funding – which has actually increased in recent years – or research dollars.

“Research funding is tied especially to the doctoral programs, that continued to have healthy enrollments, and to master’s programs in research areas, which also did not experience significant shifts in enrollment,” UTEP said in the statement.

Graduate students and programs are an integral part of UTEP’s quest to be a nationally recognized “Tier One” university. Doctoral programs in particular are closely linked to the university’s reputation, research opportunities and recruitment.

“These programs can never be disentangled from the whole idea,” Ambler said. “They are necessary to the development of the idea of a research enterprise. Without these programs, we’re never going to be able to attract top faculty or attract top students and research dollars.”

UTEP’s research expenditures totaled nearly $80 million for fiscal year 2014, according to university data.

New students

One bright spot in UTEP’s enrollment data is the number of new graduate students: Both master’s and doctoral programs saw more new students enroll this year than last.

This fall, 107 new students enrolled in UTEP doctoral programs, up from 89 students last year — though down from a four-year peak of 126 students in fall 2013.

At the master’s level, 588 new students enrolled this fall, up from 527 last year. This year’s enrollment numbers are close to the five-year high of 592 new master’s students in fall 2011.

First-time enrollment is a “common indicator of trends,” according to the Council of Graduate Schools.

Nationwide, international students are driving increases in first-time enrollment, according to the council’s report.

At UTEP, international students have contributed to some enrollment growth, and students from Chihuahua have steadily continued to attend UTEP — even as the peso’s falling value to the dollar makes the university more expensive for them, Ambler said.

In recent years, UTEP has also added other unique graduate programs that might help lure potential students, including a master’s in intelligence and national security, Ambler said.

“If you want to study that, where else would you go?” he said.

Lindsey Anderson may be reached at 546-6345; landerson@elpasotimes.com; @l_m_anderson on Twitter.